Adjustable air diffuser and damper



- sept. 17, 1963 J. P. DRY 3,103,869

ADJUSTABLE AIR DIFFUSER AND DAMPER Filed Aug. 29, 1961 2 sheets-sheet 1 Sept;4 17, 1963 J. P. DRY

ADJUSTABLE AIR DIFFUSER AND DAMPER 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Aug. 29. 1961 HIHHIHI United States Patent O 3,103,869 ADJUSTABLE Al'R DIFFUSER AND DAMPER .lohn i. Dry, R0. Box 797, Winters, Tex. Filed Aug. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 134,739 1 Claim. (Cl. 98-40) v The present invention relates to an adjustable air diffuser and damper. t

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable air dituser and damper which is adapted :to be Iused for completely, eliminating the necessity of lan additional damper to regulate the amount of desired lair, .and wherein the present invention enables an air conditioning or heating engineer to balance the system Iso that the user may open the diiuser to the balance position only or elo-se the outlet completely as desired or required.

Another object is to provide an adjustable air diffuser and damper which is constructed so that the diiluser can be fastened inside the ducts and this is not possible with Conventional dilfusers without the addition of an installation ring or separate damper, and wherein the diiuser of the present invention can be produced at a much lower cost than the conventional diffuser and damper combination, and the present invention also eliminates the necessity :of duct fitting to increase the outlet size since most conventional diilusers require a larger opening than the supply duct. y

Another object is to provide n device of the character described which will handle the same amount of air as the supply duct without the transition iitting required for most conventional ditrusers, :and wherein the present invention utilizes a simple push coaction which permits the user to operate the diffuser regardless of any mechanical knowledge he or she may or may not have, and wherein the adjustment is clearly in view so that it is not necessary to climb cn `a ladder land look through the diffuser to see if the ldamper is opened or closed.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the character described that may be utilized speedily and with precision by even inexperienced operators.

Further objects and advantages are to provide improved ele-ments yand arrangements thereof lof the device oi the character described that is economical to produce, durable in form, and conducive to the most economical use of materials and uniformity of members formed therefrom.

Still lfurther objects and advantages will become apparent from the subsequent description and spccication.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the adjustable air diffuser and damper of the present invention, with parts broken away.

FIGURE 2 isa sectional view taken on the l-ine 22 of FGURE l, Iand showing the .present invention mounted in a ceilmg or the like, and showing the device in closed position.

FIGURE 3 is ia bottom plan view taken of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 2, and with parts broken awlay and in section.

FIGURE 4 is a view generally similar .to FIGURE 2 but with the device opene FIGURE 5 yis 'a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is an elevational View of the gasket or washer, and FIGURE 6 being :on la reduced scale.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1d indicates a portion of a wall, ceiling or the like, and the wall or ceiling 111 is provided with an opening 11, FIG- URE 2. The numeral 12 indicates a conventional duct which is arranged contiguous to the ceiling 10, and according to the present invention there is provi-ded an adjustable air diiuser and 'damper which is indicated generally by Patented Sept. 17, 1963 the numeral 14, and the air diffuser and damper 14 includes -a ring member 13 which embodies. a wall member 15 which may have lan annular formation, the wall member 15 extending through the opening 11 in the ceiling 10. The ring member 13 further includes a base portion or base mem-ber 16 which embodies an annular wall section 17 that is snugly seated in the wal-l member 1S, and the wall section 17 is secured as by welding to the wall member 15. The hase portion 16 further includes a Hatred section 13 which merges into an annular shoulder 19, and the shoulder 19 has van edge portion 20 which abuts or engages the ceiling 10, FIGURES 2 and 4.

As shown in FIGURE l for example, there Vis provided a supporting structure which is indicated generally by the numeral 21, and the supporting structure 21 includes a pair of similar support members 22 which have outwardly disposed lirangcs 23 that are secured as Iby Welding to the inner surface of the wall member 1S, land the support members 22 further include straight portions 24 as Well as inwardly disposed ldat sections 25, and the iiat sections 25 are provided with intermediate olset portions 26, and a pair of opposed offset portions 26 coact with to dene therebetween la rectangular bracket or trackway 27 The numeral 2S indicates .a channel which i-s adjustably mounted in the f racket or trackway 27, and the channel 28 has a cross section which conforms to the cross section of the bracket 27, and there is provided in axial :alignment on one llange of the channel 23 aplurality of spaced .apart apertures or openings 29' for a purpose to be later described. The numeral 39 indicates a spring element which is aixed within the bracket 27 in any suitable .mannen and the spring member 3511's `adapted to bear against the channel 28 to exert the desired or proper amount of pressure on the channel 28.

The numeral 3,1 indicates a spring clip which includes a lirst portion 32 that is adapted to engage the apertures 29 in .the channel 23, and the spring clip 31 further includes a second or arcuate portion 33 which provides a hand grip, und the spring cli-p 31 further includes a third l portion 3d which is provided with 'an intermediate offset section 35, FIGURE l.

A lip or base element 36 is secured as by welding to an end of the channel 28, FIGURE 2, and the numeral 37 indicates a plate which has a formation shaped to a portion of a sphere, and there is provided a securing element or screw or lbolt 33 which extends through the lip 36 and into engagement with Ia manu-ally engageable knob 39. The numeral 46)' indicates a gasket or washer which is made or" yieldable material, and the gasket 4d is interposed between the ceiling 10 and base portion 16 as shown in the drawings.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that there has been provided an .adjustable air diiuser and damper, and in use with the parts Iarranged as shown in the drawing, it will be seen that the ring member 13 is adapted to have its wall portion 15 extended through `an opening such as the opening 11 in ythe ceiling 10, whereby with the duct 12 arranged as shown, the inner portion of the ring member will communicate with the duct 12, and the duet 12 may be of the type which is carrying warm or cool air depending upon whether each opening is being heated or cooled. The supporting structure 21 includes the members 22 which are hastened as by welding to 'the inner surface of the wall member 15, and inner portions of the members 22 -aresha-ped to define the trackwvay 27 in which is mounted the adjustable tube 2S, 'and the plate 37 is 'alixed to the channel 23 as lat 3S, and the knob 39 is adapted to be manually gripped so that by simple push pull action the plate 37 can be adjusted as desired or required. For example the plate 37 can be positioned in closed position relative to the base portion 1o, as for example as shown in FIGURE 2, for else the plate 37 can be moved to opened position as shown in `FIGURE 4.

The spring element 30 helps exert suiicient pressure on the channel 28 so as to permit the tube 2S to move with the desired degree of facility, and the plurality of openings 29 and tube 2S lare 'adapted to receive the portion 32. oi the spring clip 31 whereby the spring ciip 31 provides a means for helping to retain the parts such as the piate 37 immobile in their dierent or adjusted positions.

The parts can be made of any suitable material and in different shapes or sizes.

Minor changer-s in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming Within the scope of the invention claimed may he resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

What is claimed is:

For use with a ceiling having an opening therein, there being a duct contiguous to said opening, an adjustable air diffuser and damper comprising a ring member embodying an annular wall member adapted to project through the opening in said ceiiing, a base portion including an annular Wall section snugly seated in said wall member and secured thereto, a yieldablc gasket adapted to be interposed between said ceiling `and said hase portion, said base portion further including a iared section merging into an annular shoulder, said shoulder having an edge portion adapted to abut and engage said ceiling, a supporting structure including Ka pair of spaced apart support members having anges on their outer ends secured to the inner surface of said Wall member, said support members further including straight portions and inwardly disposed iiat lsections that are provided with intermediate oiiset portions, said odset portions coacting to define therebetween a rectangular housing having opposed open ends disposed with one open end uppermost and Ithe other open end lowermost, a vertically disposed channel adjustably mounted in said housing for upward and downward movement, said channel having a cross section configuration conf-ormahly shaped toI the cross section of said housing, a spring element at'rixed to said `housing for engaging said channel, sm'd channel having a plurality' of spaced apart axially aligned apertures, a spring clip having a iirst portion adapted to selectively extend through any one of the apertures in said channel above said hou-sing and to cngagc the upper end of said housing so as to limit downward movement of said channel in said housingsaid spring clip further having a curved second portion providing a hand grip portion, a hase element carried by the lower end of sai-d channel, a plate having a configuration of a portion of a sphere disposed below and adjacent said t ase element, a knob exteriorly of said plate, 4and a fastening element extending through said hase element and knob securing said plate to said channel.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,252,264 Kurth Aug. 12, 1941 2,367,104 Demuth I an. 9, 1945 2,577,569 emuth Dec.,4, 1951 2,671,395 Dem-nth Mar. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 105,175 Great Britain Apr. 5, 1917 

